Substation Physical Designer

About Ampirical

At Ampirical, we’re shaping the future of the power grid with precision, innovation, and purpose. We focus on quality, forward-thinking solutions, and empowering our team to grow and thrive.

Your Role

Substation Physical Designer I, II, or III. This onsite position in Duluth, GA supports Ampirical’s Substation – Physical team and the development of physical design packages for substations ranging from 12kV to 500kV. We are considering candidates at the Designer I, Designer II, and Designer III levels, with priority given to Designer II and Designer III candidates. Occasional field visits and site walkdowns are required, with limited overnight travel possible.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and interpret substation layouts and physical design drawings.
• Support the creation of Issued for Review (IFR), Issued for Approval (IFA), and Issued for Construction (IFC) design packages.
• Interpret single-line and three-line diagrams to develop physical layouts.
• Produce general arrangements, elevations, section views, foundation layouts, grounding layouts, conduit layouts, and bills of material.
• Apply electrical, working, road, maintenance, and construction clearance requirements to substation designs.
• Apply knowledge of grounding, shielding, and lighting principles.
• Consider the constructability of transmission lines, transformers, circuit breakers, disconnect switches, and other substation equipment.
• Use AutoCAD and related engineering/design software.
• Apply or develop skills using 3D CAD/modeling tools such as Inventor, SolidWorks, CATIA, P4A, or similar platforms.
• Review and incorporate vendor drawings and equipment information into design deliverables.
• Follow governing codes and standards including NESC, NEC, and IEEE.
• Support project schedules, budgets, quality-control processes, and client-specific design standards.
• Participate in field support, pre-scoping activities, site visits, and documentation as needed.
• Collaborate with clients, vendors, engineers, and other members of the project team.

The scope and independence of the work increases with level.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• AutoCAD 2D and/or 3D.
• Experience with transferable 3D CAD/modeling tools such as SolidWorks, Inventor, CATIA, P4A, or similar software.
• Microsoft Office Suite.
• Bluebeam Revu.
• Understanding of NESC, NEC, and IEEE standards appropriate to position level.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to produce accurate design documentation.
• Strong communication, organization, collaboration, critical-thinking, and problem-solving skills.
• OSHA 10 or equivalent site safety training preferred, or willingness to obtain prior to field assignments.

Qualifications

Designer I

• Education:
• Associate Degree in Drafting, CAD, Engineering Design Technology, or a related technical field.
• OR Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering Technology, Construction Management, or a related technical field.
• Experience:
• 0+ years of experience required.
• Entry-level; no prior professional experience required.
• Foundational understanding of CAD, drafting, engineering design, or related technical design principles.
• Prior substation or utility experience is not required.
• Exposure to utility, substation, mechanical, steel/industrial, or similar technical design environments is beneficial.
• Ability and willingness to develop substation-specific technical skills under close supervision.
• Strong critical-thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Exposure to or experience with 2D design preferred; 3D design/modeling experience is a plus.

Designer II

• Education:
• Associate Degree in Drafting, CAD, Engineering Design Technology, or a related technical field.
• OR Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering Technology, Construction Management, or a related technical field.
• Experience:
• 2+ years of relevant technical design experience.
• In lieu of degree: 2+ additional years of relevant experience may substitute for the degree.
• Experience in substation physical design or utilities is beneficial but not required.
• Transferable experience in mechanical, steel/industrial, or related technical design environments will also be considered.
• Experience working in 2D design environments.
• 3D design/modeling experience preferred.
• Ability to create and interpret technical layouts and contribute to design packages.
• Basic to intermediate knowledge of substation configurations, layouts, clearances, grounding, shielding, and lighting, or the ability to develop this knowledge.
• Ability to provide peer checks for lower-level designers as appropriate.

Designer III

• Education:
• Associate Degree in Drafting, CAD, Engineering Design Technology, or a related technical field.
• OR Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering Technology, Construction Management, or a related technical field.
• Experience:
• 4+ years of relevant technical design experience.
• In lieu of degree: 2+ additional years of relevant experience may substitute for the degree.
• Experience in substation physical design or utilities is beneficial but not required.
• Strong transferable design experience in mechanical, steel/industrial, or related technical environments may also qualify.
• Strong experience working in 2D design environments.
• 3D design/modeling experience preferred.
• Ability to work with greater independence and apply technical standards.
• Intermediate knowledge of substation configurations, layouts, clearances, grounding, shielding, and lighting, or the ability to apply transferable technical design knowledge.
• Ability to peer check lower-level work, support QC activities, develop simple scopes of work, and provide technical presentations.